Association of non-alcoholic fatty liver and metabolic-associated fatty liver with COVID-19 outcomes:A systematic review and metaanalysis

BACKGROUND Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD)are on the rise like any other liver disease,and tend to affect 25%of the United States population.The impact of NAFLD and MAFLD on patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)remains unclear.AIM To identify the association of NAFLD and MAFLD with mortality,hospitalization,hospital length of stay,and supplemental oxygen utilization in COVID-19 patients.METHODS A systematic review of literature on Cochrane,Embase,PubMed,ScienceDirect,and Web of Science databases was conducted from January 2019 to July 2022.Studies that evaluated NAFLD/MAFLD using laboratory methods,noninvasive imaging,or liver biopsy were included.The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO(ID CRD42022313259)and PRISMA guidelines were followed.The National Institutes of Health quality assessment tool was used to assess the quality of the studies.Pooled analysis was conducted using software Rev Man version 5.3.The stability of the results was assessed using sensitivity analysis.RESULTS Thirty-two studies with 43388 patients were included in the meta-analysis of whom 8538(20%)patients were observed to have NAFLD.There were 42254 patients from 28 studies included in the mortality analysis.A total of 2008 patients died from COVID-19;837(10.52%)in the NAFLD group and 1171(3.41%)in the non-NAFLD group.The odds ratio(OR)was 1.38 for mortality with a 95%confidence interval(95%CI)=0.97-1.95 and P=0.07.A total of 5043 patients from eight studies were included in the hospital length of stay analysis.There were 1318 patients in the NAFLD group and 3725 patients in the non-NAFLD group.A qualitative synthesis showed that the mean difference in hospital length of stay was about 2 d between the NAFLD and non-NAFLD groups with a 95%CI=0.71-3.27 and P=0.002.For hospitalization rates,the OR was 3.25 with a 95%CI of 1.73-6.10 and P=0.0002.For supplemental oxygen utilization,the OR was 2.04 with a 95%CI of 1.17-3.53 and P=0.01.CONCLUSION Our meta-analysis suggests that there are increased odds of hospitalization,longer hospital length of stay,and increased use of supplemental oxygen in NAFLD/MAFLD patients.

Mouthwash with Active Oxygen (blue^®m) Induces Keratinocytes Proliferation

Chlorhexidine is widely used in dentistry to treat various gingival conditions. Its side effects are widely described. Histologically, the gingiva consists of a stratified squamous epithelium, with a predominance of keratinocytes, the latter being fundamental in healing processes. Thus, the objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the effects of a new product with active oxygen (blue®m) on keratinocytes. Keratinocytes (HACAT) were incubated with different concentrations of blue®m (1, 10 and 100 μl/ml), and another well was used as a control, without the presence of mouthwash. After 24, 48 and 72 hours, cell proliferation was analyzed by CyQUANT®. It was possible to observe that lower concentrations (1 μl/ml) of blue®m increased cell proliferation in HACAT cell lines, while moderate and higher concentrations of mouthwash may present a cytotoxic effect. This is the first in vitro study with showing that human keratinocytes cell line demonstrated greater proliferation rate when exposed to lower concentrations of blue®m mouthwash.

Comparative Analysis in Vitro of the Application of blue m Oral Gel versus Chlorhexidine on Porphyromonas gingivalis:A Pilot Study

Oxygen is an essential nutrient for cellular metabolism, especially energy production. The substance is involved in multiple processes including oxidative killing of bacteria, reepithelialization, angiogenesis, and collagen synthesis. In order to test and compare the effects of the oxygen gel blue?m in vitro on Porphyromonas gingivalis, four groups were evaluated: 100% oxygen gel (B1), 75% oxygen gel (B2), 50% oxygen gel (B3), and 100% 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate solution (C1). For this purpose, evaluations of the proportion of bacterial growth were performed, using the Agar diffusion test. The results demonstrated that blue?m at a dose of 100% and 75% is similar to chlorhexidine (p > 0.05);however blue?m at a concentration of 50% showed a lower inhibition halo when compared to chlorhexidine (p = 0.024). blue?m at higher concentrations provided inhibitory halo of Porphyromonas gingivalis similar to chlorhexidine digluconate, while blue?m at lower concentration had a lower bacterial inhibition halo compared to chlorhexidine.

Live and Inactivated Salmonella Enteritidis Vaccines:Immune Mechanisms in Broiler Breeders

Salmonella is a ubiquitous pathogen which, in addition to causing poultry diseases, has a growing zoonotic impact. It has demanded the implementation of diverse control strategies, in which vaccines play a major role. The understanding of the immune pathways elicited by the different vaccines is important, contributing for the establishment of strong immune correlates of protection, for instance. With the purpose of determining the dynamics of the humoral and cellular immune responses to vaccination, broiler breeders (Cobb Slow) were immunized with live or inactivated vaccines against Salmonella Enteritidis. Lymphocyte and macrophage subsets were analyzed in the peripheral blood by flow cytometry and antigen-specific circulating IgY and mucosal IgA were quantified. The markers analyzed by flow cytometry were CD8/CD28, CD4/TCRVβ1, Kul/ MHC II and Bu-1. Both live and inactivated vaccines induced an increase in the proportion of circulating monocytes (Kul+MHCII+) in some time points compared to non-vaccinated controls. However, whereas the live vaccine leads to an increase in CD8-CD28+ and Bu-1+ lymphocytescompared to the control group, the inactivated vaccine prompteda reduction in the percentage of severalleucocyte subsets (Kul-MHCII+, Bu-1+, CD8+CD28+, CD8-CD28+, CD4+TCRVβ1-, CD4+TCRVβ1+, CD4-TCRVβ1+) after the boost dose. Both vaccines induced specific serum IgY and mucosal IgA production;however, the inactivated vaccine stimulated higher titers in a shorter period. These results contribute to the understanding of mechanisms of action of live and inactivated Salmonella vaccines in chickens.

Effects of Copaiba Oil on Cyclophosphamide-Induced Teratogenesis in Mice

Cyclophosphamide is an anti-neoplastic chemotherapy drug which, when administered to animals during the gestational period, provokes visceral, skeletal and external malformations. Copaiba oil obtained from Copaifera L. genus is traditionally used in popular medicine for its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. However, the effect of copaiba oil onteratogenesis remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the possible protector effects of copaiba oil on the model of teratogenesis induced by cyclophosphamide in mice. Pregnant female Swiss mice were divided into 8 groups (n = 15). Three groups received copaiba oil, via gavage, in the following doses: 0.3 mL·Kg-1, 0.6 mL·Kg-1 and 0.9 mL·Kg-1 (b.w.), associated to phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), intraperitoneal (i.p.). The negative control group received medium chain triglyceride (MCT) and PBS. The positive control group received cyclophosphamide (30 mg·Kg-1 (b.w.)) and MCT. The three treatment groups called associated groups (A) received one of the doses of copaiba oil, via gavage and an associated dose of cyclophosphamide intraperitoneally. Copaiba oil presented a protective effect against teratogenesis induced by cyclophosphamide in the following skeletal structures: metacarpals, forepaws proximal phalanges, and tail vertebras. It also reduced the hydrocephalus frequency. These data suggest that copaiba oil could be a potential candidate for an anti-teratogenic agent.